


TOK'RA FLATS: A Good Deal,

by theboymichaelshanks_archivist



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Drama, Gen, Gen Work, Story, Tokra Flats
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2003-05-10
Updated: 2003-05-10
Packaged: 2019-03-16 12:17:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13636143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theboymichaelshanks_archivist/pseuds/theboymichaelshanks_archivist
Summary: The Mayor and Daniel make a deal with some pilgrims.  Warning: This fic has the possibility of placing Jack and Daniel within the realm of an Alternate Universe where life is much kinder and gentler.  Please do not read if you do not wish to see the guys engaged in any of the following: Playing cowboy, sleeping, chopping wood, cooking, washing dishes, eating out, feeding the horses, horseback riding, worrying, being tender and loving.and any other type of activity that constitutes life outside the SGC.  No toes in sight





	TOK'RA FLATS: A Good Deal,

**Author's Note:**

> Note from alice ttlg, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [The Boy / Michael Shanks](http://fanlore.org/wiki/The_Boy_Fanfiction_Archive), wand was moved to the AO3 as part of the Open Doors project in 2018. I tried to reach out to all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are the creator and would like to claim this work, please contact me using the e-mail address on [The Boy / Michael Shanks collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/theboymichaelshanks/profile).
> 
>  **Author's notes:** Notes: Aided and a-beta'd by CelticAngel, Alpha'd by Devra, and Lewie the Cat

  
Author's notes: Notes: Aided and a-beta'd by CelticAngel, Alpha'd by Devra, and Lewie the Cat   


* * *

TOK'RA FLATS: A Good Deal,

### TOK'RA FLATS: A Good Deal,

#### by Debi C

Date Archived: 05/10/03  
Website:   
Status: Complete  
Category: Tokra Flats, Team, Drama, Story, Angst, Gen story, Alternate Universe  
Characters/Pairings: Col. Jack O'Neill, Dr. Daniel Jackson, Other Characters   Mayor Debi and the Tolle Family (new folks)   No Pairing         
Rating: G  
Spoilers: A Christmas Gunslinging, A Discovery At The Tok'ra Journal, Young Daniel  
Permission to archive: TheBoy, The Cartouche, Tok'ra Flats Archive  
Series: The Riders Of Tok'ra Flats  
Notes: Notes: Aided and a-beta'd by CelticAngel, Alpha'd by Devra, and Lewie the Cat   
  
Warnings: This fic has the possibility of placing Jack and Daniel within the realm of an Alternate Universe where life is much kinder and gentler. Please do not read if you do not wish to see the guys engaged in any of the following: Playing cowboy, sleeping, chopping wood, cooking, washing dishes, eating out, feeding the horses, horseback riding, worrying, being tender and loving.and any other type of activity that constitutes life outside the SGC. No toes in sight  
Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Showtime/ Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. I do not own the characters and indeed am only playing with them for a little while. The team belongs together. I am not making any money from this and I'm still paying for everything I own so there's very little point in suing me. No copyright infringement whatsoever is intended. The story is for entertainment purposes only. At least I hope it's entertaining. The original characters, situations and story are mine. Please check with me first if you want to archive or link to this story.   
  
Summary: The Mayor and Daniel make a deal with some pilgrims.   


* * *

A Good Deal (a Tok'ra Flats Story)  
by Debi C 

Mayor Debi stepped out of the Emerald City Saloon with a broom in her hand and looked up and down the street. It was a beautiful spring morning, and the Mesquite trees were in full greenery. She could hear Siler and his boys over at the blacksmith shop already hard at work in the forge before the day's heat got too uncomfortable to work the fire. 

Looking down the main street towards the edge of town, she could see the kids playing outside of the schoolhouse; it must be morning recess time. Miz Babs was sitting on the porch and keeping an eye on them. The big freight wagon was sitting unhitched under the trees till the end of the school day. Then, one of the riders would hitch up the team and take the Anasazi students back out to the Mission, dropping off a few of the farm kids along the way. 

Glancing the other way, she could see Sheriff O'Neill's rocking chair sitting empty on the porch, moving slightly in the morning breeze. He must be out gallivanting around checking on things at the outskirts of town. The man seemed to be everywhere at the same time, either on foot or on his rangy Appaloosa. He appeared to be a friendly, easygoing sort always ready with a joke or a compliment. At first, when she'd met him, she and the then Mayor Angel had thought him relaxed and easygoing. But from later experiences with the outlaw Gould Brothers, the town had seen the steely eyed, uncompromising core of the man. He would brook no nonsense in his town or with the people that were his responsibility. 

And when his deputy and best friend, Daniel, had been wounded, their unrelenting defender had shown himself quite capable of taking care of any unsavory business that needed handling, whether it was an arrest or a killing. After that little incident, no one doubted his abilities, or his qualifications for the job. 

Speaking of Daniel, she'd not seen much of the deputy recently. He always came to dinner on time, and if she needed a helping handle, the young man would appear as if by magic. But something had been bothering him for several weeks now. It pained her to see him that way -- someone that good should be happy -- but he wasn't. And she was pretty sure she knew the reason behind it. She's heard about a sad incident over at the Tok'ra Journal's Office involving Daniel, and he'd been mourning another loss in his life, that of a pet. 

As she stood there thinking, Debi saw the shape of a Conestoga wagon coming down the street As it grew near she could see a young couple up on the box, the slender man handling the team of worn out mules and a tired, frail looking woman holding a small baby in her lap. As they pulled up to the saloon front, the husband reined in the pair of weary animals and tipped his dusty hat to her. 

"Ma'm, can I ask the name of this town?" 

"Surely, this is Tok'ra Flats." She replied in a friendly manner. "Can I offer you some cool water for you, and your Missus, and your team? They look about done in." 

"Yes Ma'm that would be wonderful." He looked at his small family. "I don't have much to pay..." 

"Mister, nobody pays for water in this town. You and your Missus climb on down. I don`t charge for what the good Lord gives us free. My name is Debi, I'm the Mayor hereabouts and I run the saloon." 

The young man looked at her with a little more hope. "Thank you, Ma'm, for your kindness. My name is Bob Tolle, and this is my wife Margie and our little boy, Robbie." He clumsily climbed down from the box seat. As the young woman moved to descend to the street, Debi went over to the other side of the wagon to help her. She appeared to be exhausted. 

"Hand me your young `un." She offered. "That way you can get down easy without fear of dropping the liddle tyke." The woman numbly did as requested, but as soon as the older woman took the child, she realized that the baby was burning up with fever. "Bless me, Ma'm, but this boy is sick." She remarked. "You need to take him over to Doc Fraiser's and get him seen to. 

"I know," the thin young woman said as she took the babe back from the woman. "But we have no money to pay a doctor..." 

"Look a here, you two." The Mayor spoke firmly. "First off, Ma'm, we got us a fine doctor just down the street, and if Doc Janet knew that I let you get away from here with an ailing child, she'd be right peeved at me. Secondly, you look like you're plumb tuckered out yer-own-self. There's a nice hotel with a bath house out back, and believe you me nothing feels so good as a hot bath after days on the trail. If Miz Deb even thinks about charging, you jest say it's on my tab...but she won't." Debi knew the new hotel owner in town now fairly well and she doubted the woman would begrudge the young couple a place to stay with the sick child. 

The Mayor finally convinced the woman to take the baby to Doc Fraiser's Also at her instructions, the husband unhitched the mules leaving the wagon under some shade trees and took the team around back to water them. While she was sweeping the porch and waiting for his return, she heard some suspicious noises coming from within the wagon. Debi went over and peeked under the canvas that covered the wagon and smiled to herself, a plan forming. 

When Mister Tolle finally came back around the building, the elusive deputy Daniel was with him and the mules were not. 

"Hello, Deputy." She called to him. Daniel looked at her in surprise. She never called him deputy. 

"Mayor," he responded shyly. "I told Mister Tolle to put his mules in the corral out back, and I pitched them some hay." 

"Thank you, Daniel," she smiled at him and he grinned back. She turned to the newcomer. "I serve dinner from 6 PM on. I'll expect you and your Missus. The deputy here can vouch for our cooking here at the Emerald City." 

"Ma'm, I told you I can't pay..." 

Debi looked at him and smiled. "How 'bout something to barter with?" 

"Barter?" He looked at her in confusion. 

"Sure." Nodding towards the wagon and shrugged. "It's traditional around these parts, and you do have something of value." 

"I do?" He seemed confused. "What?' 

"Well," she smiled over at Daniel. "First, though, I'll need some help, if the deputy will lend me a hand." 

Now, it was Daniel's turn to look puzzled. "My help for what?" 

She turned to Tolle, raised a finger and pointed towards the wagon. "You have kittens." 

The young man looked at her in confusion then nodded. "Danged cat was pregnant. I couldn't tell or I'd have left her, but Margie wanted to bring her with us." 

"Well, I figured one of you was attached to momma." Debi glanced over at the now attentive Daniel. "That's why I need your help. From the look of them kittens they're a mite too small to be weaned already." 

"Yes, they're only five and a half weeks old." 

"So," she continued. "I'll need a substitute momma. I can't have them around the saloon, my dog is a terrier, a natural born killer, but the town only has ten or twelve cats and most of them are wilder than March hares. With all the new businesses coming to down, five new cats will be as welcome as rain in August around here." Debi looked at Daniel hopefully. "What do you say, Daniel, can you foster them for a month or two, wean them, civilize them, and help me relocate them to their new homes?" 

"Sure," he replied eagerly, "kittens are easy to raise." Daniel thought a moment. "I guess it'll be all right with Jack." He got a sly look on his face. "I have been seeing rats in the cell area." 

"Oh, well, of course you'd get the pick of the litter as your payment, that is if Mister Tolle will strike me a deal here." 

Tolle was looking at her in abject confusion. "What kind of a deal?" 

"Well, I figger that with five kittens, well, let's see they'd be worth, um, let's see...two meals at the Emerald City Saloon...supper and breakfast..., one night at the Boarding House, two trips to the bath house, one doctor bill for a sick baby, and one night boarding for two mules in the corral including two feeds of corn and hay and all the water they can drink." The woman ticked off the payments on her fingers and watched the man trying to determine if she was joking with him or not. 

Debi looked back towards the sheriff's office. O'Neill was leaning up against one of the poles that supported the porch's overhanging roof. He had a grin on his face, and he was shaking his head at her `business sense'. When he saw that he'd been noticed, O'Neill started ambling over to where the Mayor and the newcomer were talking turkey. 

As the Sheriff approached, the saloon keeper continued on. "Of course, I'll owe the deputy here one for raising up and taming them down, but I think my profit margin will cover that expense." She looked at the young man who was staring at her as if she were a mad woman. "So, Pilgrim, we got a deal?" 

"Uh, well... " 

"All right, Mister Tolle, you drive a hard bargain...tell you what, I'll throw in a picnic lunch for you when you all decide to move on tomorrow...that is if you really want to leave Tok'ra Flats...we've always got room for one more family here." She glanced at Jack. "This is our town sheriff, Jack O'Neill." 

O'Neill nodded, and shook the man's hand. "Nice to meet you. It's a nice town here," he commented. "A good place to bring up a family." 

Tolle looked at the lawman, obviously impressed. "Bob, uh, Bob Tolle." Tolle stuttered, a bit overwhelmed. "It is certainly a very nice town," wondering if he was dreaming or not. Finally, he shook his head. "But well, we're headed for California. I've heard that there's gold to be found there. Lots of gold." 

"Well, that's what they say, Bob." O'Neill nodded solemnly. "But they also say gold is where you find it. I'd say you've got your own little treasure mine right here in your wagon...and I don't mean your cats." 

Jack's comment caught Tolle's attention. "I don't know what you mean?" He asked. 

"Bob," Jack nodded towards the wagon that the young deputy was peering into, examining his new project. "You've got a pretty young wife and a handsome baby. I've seen a bunch of men with a whole lot less to lose, come through here and go nowhere. You're risking not only yourself, but both of them as well, on some wishful thinking about a gold strike. What did you do back east, Bob?" 

Tolle looked a little embarrassed. "I was a gun smith." 

"Really? A gun smith did you say?" O'Neill was impressed. "Well now, this town needs a good gun smith. Can you reload shot and bullets too?" 

The young man shrugged. "Sure, part of the job really." He replied with a bit of pride at his training. 

"I tell you what, Bob, you think on staying here in the Flats. I guarantee you could make a good living here with a skill like that. And it would be a whole lot less toil than out there in California digging in the rocks for some of that imaginary gold." The sheriff looked at him, considering. "I tell you, I got two weapons right now that need attention and another one I need some special ammunition made for." He glanced at the Mayor. 

"There's that store front down the next block that's unoccupied right now." Debi thought out loud. "You could use that for as long as you stay. There's a little bit of rent that would go to the city treasury, but the first month is always up for bartering." She smiled at the sheriff. "Heck, I'd let you have the first month for free just for cleaning the place up." 

He nodded back. "Yep, you could be a big help around here...and when you get your grubstake built up again, well California's been there for a long time, and I imagine it'll be there for a while yet." 

Debi nodded. "And of course, there's your sick baby to be considered. It would be better for him to rest and not be bounced all over creation." 

Bob Tolle looked overwhelmed. He glanced up the street where his wife had taken their son. Finally, he stuck his hand out to the Mayor. "Ma'm, I think I need to take you up on that kind offer of yours. You're both right. I been afraid that little Robbie wasn't getting any better, and well, if something was to happen to him...I, I just don't know what Margie and I would do." 

"Mister Tolle," O'Neill said softly. "I think you're making a very wise decision. I didn't know about your sick child until just now, but I'm here to tell you...I lost a son some years back. And no matter what else happens to you in this old world, that is the absolute worst thing that a man can live through. So, now I'm telling you, staying here is the best possible thing you can do. Doctor Fraiser is one of the finest physicians I have ever met, if anyone can set him straight...she will." He nodded in affirmation. "And I can guarantee you at least a month's work. Later on, after you're settled, we can discuss some special orders for some of my deputies." He indicated the direction of the Doctor's Office. "You best go on up there and see about your boy. Your rig and mules will be fine right where they are." 

Bob looked back and forth between the Mayor and the sheriff. "I...I think I will, thank you all for everything." 

"Not a bit of it, Bob." Debi replied with a smile. "When you and the Missus come in for your supper tonight I'll have a key to that old storefront waiting for you." 

The young man nodded. "Thank you again, and, well, I gotta go see about Margie and Robbie." 

"You do that, Bob." Jack smiled at him. "You go on and tell Doc Fraiser to bill the Mayor here. She'll be paid in about oh, a month or two. I'll tell her the rest later." 

As the young man hurried down the street, the mayor and the sheriff looked at each other. 

"Thank you, sheriff." Debi said, "I was afraid he was gonna drag that family of his over Teltac Pass." 

"He doesn't know any better; that's his only defense." Jack shook his head. 

"Well, I don't think the Apache would take that into consideration, and they're right over that pass, just a waiting for some innocent like him to come along." 

"The Comancheros didn't either. Old Wise Eagle just couldn't understand what in the world the Jackson's were doing out there all by their lonesome. It's dangerous enough to travel in a wagon train. They sure don't need to be wandering around by themselves." He nodded and looked over at the young man peering into the wagon. "Just what in the world did you get Daniel into, by the way?" 

The Mayor just smiled, "Kittens." 

"Kittens?" 

She nodded, still smiling. "Kittens." 

He scowled at her suspiciously. "What do you mean, exactly, when you say kittens?" 

"I bartered with Tolle for them, Daniel's gonna raise them for me till I can pass them out to their new owners." 

"But the Tolle's are gonna stay here now." 

"Yep." 

"Then why can't the mother cat raise them?" 

"Well, I guess she can." the Mayor nodded agreeably. "It would be nice if you offered to keep the momma and the kittens in the Sheriff's office, just till the Tolle's got moved into their place of course. By then, she'll have weaned them herself." 

"Then why does Daniel need to do it?" He dragged the question out curiously. "Why don't you just keep them in the Saloon?" 

" `Cause my dog would kill them." She responded logically. "You know that." 

"Oh." He frowned. "Right. Thanks." 

The Mayor smiled, kissed him on the cheek, spun around, looked coyly over her shoulder and said, "You're welcome." 

The sheriff shook his head, turned to look at his deputy still over by the wagon, and yelled. "Daniel!" 

Daniel turned around with his arms full of kittens and a happy grin on his handsome face. "Yes, Jack?" 

"Oh," Jack just sighed and shook his head. "Never mind." 

a kittenish finish   
  


* * *

If you enjoyed this story, please send feedback to Debi C


End file.
